The Shadow King And The Commoner
by xx-amypie-xx
Summary: When Naomi Harper is offered the chance to meet her father, she immediately agrees to fly to Japan. Upon arriving, she meets her brother Tamaki and struggles to trust him.Then,when she is introduced to the Host club, she finds solace in an unlikely host.
1. Chapter 1

Rain washed over the grey city of Manchester as the crowds of shoppers hurried into various stores in search of shelter. Just as the weather worsened, a young, blonde haired girl emerged from a supermarket and proceeded to wander through the streets to a dismal block of flats a few blocks away. She trudged up the discoloured staircase to find her flat already unlocked. The girl, 15 year old Naomi Harper knew instantly that her mother had returned home. She tiptoed through the door, her eyes resting on a shadow on the filthy couch, lit up by the light of a brand new laptop. Naomi frowned, knowing her mom had probably stolen it and carried it into the corner of the room. There on the screen was a Facebook message from a Mr. Yuzuru Suoh. Naomi was worried, although her mother was always meeting weirdos on the internet, this guy certainly wasn't her mom's type. She looked through the previous messages from Suoh and found herself entangled in a web of secrets, money and illegitimate children.

Reading through the final message one more time, Naomi's head reeled.

"I would like to meet my daughter. I know that you are in a difficult situation financially so I would be willing to pay for Naomi to fly over to Japan and stay with me for a little while."

Naomi shook her head. This kind of stuff only happened in movies! From what she could gather from the messages, Yuzuru was loaded with money. And he was Japanese? Finally, she would know her birth father after all these years of being told he was just another guy in a bar. She took a deep breath and began to type.

"Sure, take her for a few weeks. God knows the kid needs a father figure."

Just as she hit the send button, she realized Liz Harper was staring at her with hard eyes.

"What's up? Am I not good enough for you?"

She sneered. Naomi shook her head.

"Mum, if this man is my dad then I want to meet him. Besides, It'll help me with my Japanese."

Liz glared at her.

"You and that bloody school. Fine then, little Miss Ingrate, go to Japan and forget all about your poor old mum who actually needs you."

Dropping the bag of groceries on the floor, Naomi crept dejectedly into her bedroom.

"Would you like another coffee, miss?"

Asked a passing air hostess. Naomi nodded and smiled as the hostess poured her a cup of coffee. She had never been seated in first class before, or been on a plane for that matter! Looking around the spacious cabin, she saw a couple of celebrities from magazines she could never afford, and some well-groomed business types. Looking out of the window at the billowing clouds below, she contemplated her father's reaction to her arrival. What kind of man was he? Rich, obviously, but would he be kind and loving, like the kind of dad's her school friends had?

"Probably not."

She mused, nibbling a chocolate bar. The flight had been very long and she had had to get up at a stupid hour to fly to Tokyo.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts ready for our descent."

Naomi stepped off the plane into what seemed to be a whole new world. The sun was shining, the buildings gleaming and even the airport was modern and interesting. She checked out and exited the airport. There in the waiting area, was a huge black limousine! Naomi had to admit that she envied the lucky passengers. As the two celebrities she had seen earlier climbed inside and pulled out, a larger, grander limousine took its place. A serious, elderly man climbed out and held up a large sign. "Naomi Suoh" it said. Naomi was a little confused but she brushed the feeling aside and smiled at the man holding the sign.

"Hello, I am Naomi Suoh."

She grinned, speaking fluent Japanese. The man smiled a slight, wrinkled smile and motioned for her to get into the car.

"I am Genji Takanobu, a chauffeur for the Suoh family. Welcome to Japan!"

He held the door open for her, and she self-consciously clambered into the vehicle. As the limousine sped across the city, Naomi gradually fell into a deep sleep.

"Miss Suoh? Miss?"

Naomi felt a hand on her shoulder. Rubbing her eyes, she realised the hand belonged to Takanobu.

"Welcome to Suoh Mansion #2. This is your new home."

The chauffeur smiled gesturing to a grand mansion sprawling across what seemed like acres of manicured lawns. Naomi could have fainted at that moment.

"I'm afraid you will have to escort yourself to the door, as I have other duties to attend to."

She thanked him and made her way along the path leading to the house. The sky was darker now, and she was a little apprehensive about meeting her father. She heard a rustling behind her and turned around to see a large dog carrying a stick in its mouth. The dog playfully set it down at Naomi's feet. She threw the stick across the lawn. She liked dogs. As she advanced towards the house, the dog continued to fetch and return the stick. Naomi decided to throw the stick and make a run for it. Her plan was in vain as the dog chased her through the grounds and through a large fountain. A maid came out to see what the noise was and found a sodden Naomi sprinting up the path, her ruby red dress soiled with dirt and grass. The kindly maid escorted her to the great hall and left her alone to get some towels. Naomi caught sight of herself in a grand mirror. Her dress was soaked and her blonde hair was dripping. Great. What kind of first impression would she make now? It was at that moment she heard a voice. Was it her father? No, it sounded younger, like the voice belonged to a teenage boy. The voice grew closer and soon she saw a tall, handsome blonde descend down the exquisite staircase. Noticing Naomi, the boy smiled gracefully and wandered over.

"Good evening, sweet princess. May I ask why you're here?"

Naomi breathed in deeply, not letting her awkwardness show at all.

"I am here to see my father, Yuzuru Suoh. My name is Naomi Harper."


	2. Chapter 2

Tamaki Suoh was stunned. Looking closer, Naomi definitely had similar facial features to him. However, she was tiny compared to Tamaki. There was an awkward silence between the two siblings, which was finally broken by the maid returning with towels for Naomi. Naomi smiled weakly.

"Your dog chased me through the fountains!"

Tamaki returned the awkward smile.

"I apologise for Antoinette's misbehaviour, I hope she didn't hurt you."

Naomi began to dry her hair with a fluffy white towel.

"So... you are my sister?"

Tamaki asked. Naomi nodded.

"I think so. I mean, you kind of look like me so I assume so."

Tamaki led her into a vast sitting room and offered her a seat.

"How long are you staying here for?"

"For about two months. After that I really must go back to Manchester. My mum needs me."

"Is she ill?"

Naomi avoided his eyes and whispered.

"You could say that."

Tamaki could see she was in no mood to open up, and so dropped the topic.

"Well now I know you exist, I'd better start making up for all the birthdays I've missed!"

Tamaki cheerfully grinned.

"Tomorrow I'll take you shopping. To be honest, you could use some new clothes."

Naomi felt more than slightly offended. New clothes cost money she couldn't afford, so she had to cope with hand-me-downs from her mom. Pushing back a sarcastic comment, she asked to see her father.

"Oh, of course! Right this way, sis."

Naomi followed her new-found sibling to a study.

"He's in here. Go on in."

As Naomi spoke with her father, Tamaki couldn't help but listen through the keyhole.

"I'm afraid that my relationship with your mother was little more than a drunken fling. I was going through a hard time, trying to get over a woman I loved and lost. Your mother was on vacation here in Tokyo, and we met in a bar. After a few drinks together, I realised that despite knowing that she was completely different to my beloved Anne-Sophie, she had the same luscious blonde hair. The next morning I left before she woke up. I felt so ashamed. When I returned home, there was a letter waiting for me from Anne-Sophie, telling me that I had a two year old son. Then, about two weeks ago, I received an email from your mother of the same description. I knew you were my daughter just from seeing the photos and I knew that I needed to be the father figure you should have had years ago."

Tamaki felt ashamed that his father had sunk so low.

"Tamaki, stop lurking outside the door. If you must listen, come in."

Yuzuru called. Flushing, Tamaki let himself into the spacious study.

"I suppose we should discuss this as a family now."

Yuzuru announced solemnly. Naomi was confused.

"So...The guy only got with my mum because he was drunk and she looked like his ex? And now he thinks we're family?"

She thought. Her mind conjured up memories of her mom turning up drunk to her school choir solo, lying unconscious on the sofa each night, the violent hangovers she had the next day. Although the cabinet behind Yuzuru's desk suggested that he still drank, Naomi had a strange feeling that he was genuinely trying to be a good father to both Tamaki and his new-found daughter. She decided to give them both a chance, at least for now.

"Yes. As a family."

She murmured, clasping her little hands together.

The next day Tamaki took her shopping, as promised the night before. Yuzuru had joined them for breakfast.

"Tamaki, be sure to take Naomi to have her measured."

"Measured?"

Naomi asked.

"For your uniform. Tomorrow will be your first day at Ouran Academy."

Naomi was worried. She had forgotten about attending school. As the measurements for her buttercup yellow uniform were made, she was nearly in tears. She had to wear a hideous uniform, her classmates would probably exclude her because she was new, and she had to attend the same school as her idiot older brother. As the uniform was being put together by the seamstresses, Tamaki dragged her out of the store and made her try on cute clothes in every shop at the mall.

"This is great!"

Tamaki laughed.

"My little girl Haruhi would never let me dress her up!"

"Your... little girl?"

Great, not only was Tamaki an idiot but also a stalker? He continued to talk about Haruhi for most of the shopping trip. The conversation drifted to his friends and his beloved "Host club", whatever that was. After a while, Naomi had to admit she was having a good time with her brother. She supposed that this was his way of welcoming her to the family. Plus he had actually picked out some nice (and expensive!) clothes for her. However she wasn't prepared to let him buy her trust, especially as she had just met him. He'd have to earn it like everybody else.

"After all."

She mused as she lay in bed that night.

"The ones you trust can hurt you the most."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Naomi woke to find Tamaki shaking her violently.

"Hurry up! You're making us late!"

howled Tamaki, thrusting the disgusting yellow uniform at his sibling. Tamaki was dressed already, in a smart blue uniform. Naomi would much rather have worn that to school. Pushing Tamaki out of the room, she locked the door and dressed herself. The bedroom itself was pretty impressive and looked like it was fresh out of a home catalogue! The best feature of the room was probably the bed, Naomi thought. It was like sleeping on a cloud. She wished that she could just climb back into the bed instead of attending school that day. Unfortunately, Naomi knew all too well that there was no way of avoiding Ouran Academy, and so she brushed her hair, put on some lip-gloss and dragged herself down to breakfast.

Naomi found herself playing with her food, although the Suoh family's personal chef was excellent. Tamaki squeezed her hand under the table.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, you'll be okay!"

Naomi frowned slightly and pulled her hand away.

"Master Tamaki, your limousine is waiting for you and Miss Naomi."

Genji Takanobu's voice echoed through the extravagant dining hall. Tamaki thanked him and the siblings followed him outside to the car. A few minutes later, Takanobu parked outside the school. Naomi stared in wonder at the vast marble building surrounded by trees and decorative fountains.

"This...is a school? It looks more like a palace!"

she gasped, ducking out of the limousine. Tamaki grinned.

"Come on, it's just school right? Isn't this what the commoner high school is like?"

Naomi shook her head in awe. There seemed to be a crowd of girls looking at them and whispering. They looked angry.

"Good morning Tamaki!"

They called. Tamaki led her over to them.

"Good morning, my princesses! It was a beautiful day already and now you have made it complete!"

The girls swooned and Tamaki turned to Naomi, who was astonished. Was her brother's curious behaviour all part of being a host? Before she could ask, Tamaki declared

"I promised father I'd meet him before home-room so I'm afraid you'll have to make your own way to your class."

Tamaki gave her the directions, waved gracefully and left. The second he had left, the group of unmistakably jealous fan-girls charged at her.

"How dare you try and steal our Tamaki from us?"

They squealed as they chased her down the corridors.

"You might have a pretty little face but he's ours!"

"W-wait! You've got the wrong idea!"

yelled Naomi as she sprinted into her classroom, slamming the door behind her. The class rep looked up in alarm.

"Ah, Miss Harper. So glad you could finally join us."

Ushering her to the front, the class rep introduced her to the class.

"There are only a couple of seats free I'm afraid. Please sit down between Haruhi Fujioka and Hikaru Hitachiin."

He said, gesturing to a pair of boys. As she Naomi glanced nervously at her neighbours.

"Hi! I'm Haruhi Fujioka. It's nice to meet you!"

The brown-haired boy smiled. He looked very effeminate up close.

"I'm Naomi Harper. I just moved here from England."

She bit her lip.

"I can tell that you're nervous. Ouran isn't that bad, you'll get used to it."

Naomi smirked.

"Really? Have you ever been attacked by angry fan-girls?"

Haruhi swallowed.

"Well... not angry ones..."

Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru sat together as usual in their next class.

"So, who's your friend?"

The twins asked in perfect unison.

"Naomi Harper. She's from somewhere in England."

Haruhi continued with her work.

"That's it?"

Haruhi looked up at the two questioning faces.

"Well she seems nice. But...I think for some reason she was trying not to let me get too close. Maybe she finds it hard to trust people."

Across the room, Naomi thought back to her conversation with Haruhi this morning. Haruhi? Where had she heard that name before? Shrugging it off, she tried to make sense of the complicated maths problems. Maths had always been the one subject she couldn't master. Eventually she gave up and she set her head down on the desk.

"Miss Harper, the superintendent would like to see you outside immediately."

Looking sheepishly at the teacher in front of her, she stood up and awkwardly backed out of the classroom.

Her father and Tamaki were waiting outside the door for her.

"What is it?"

Naomi questioned. Yuzuru looked serious.

"Your grandmother is coming to visit after school tonight."

Grandmother? Naomi remembered her grandma back home, a kindly old woman who loved her family dearly. She sorrowfully recalled the blazing rows between her mum and grandmother. They were always the same, right up to the day Grandma Josephine passed away.

"Liz, you're a big girl now with a daughter of your own. Is this really the example you want to set for your child? Drinking yourself into the gutter isn't something to be proud of."

"Mum, keep your nose out of my life. If this is what I want to do, then let me do it! God knows there isn't much else to live for."

"Then let Naomi come and live with me. I love that child, Liz. I won't let you drag her down with you!"

Naomi had tried to ignore the voices from the next room, hiding under the duvet with her little hands over her ears. Even now, five years since her grandmother's death, it still brought tears to her eyes...

"Naomi? Are you listening to me?"

She nodded, blinking away the impending tears.

"You must make yourself look presentable for her arrival. She will wish to see me first so I'll send a chauffeur for you and Tamaki once Host Club has finished. I'm afraid you'll have to help out tonight, I can't have you in the house until I have sent for you."

Yuzuru dismissed the two siblings and left for his office.

"So, what's Grandma like?"

Tamaki looked like he'd just seen a hideous demon.

"Never. Ever. Call her that. I can assure you, Grandmother will pretty much rip your face off if you dare to step out of line. Trust me on this one."

Great. Now Naomi had another relative who in all likelihood disliked her before they had even met.

"Meet me at the Cupid fountain at lunch. We'll eat together."

Naomi shrugged.

"Sure. Just don't bring any of your fan-girls along. I now know just how vicious they can get, my dear brother."


	4. Chapter 4

"Also, do not slouch at the dinner table, Grandmother will be angry..."

Naomi yawned as Tamaki delivered endless lists of 'advice' about pleasing her newly acquired grandmother.

"Surely she can't be as bad as you make out?"

She interrupted. Tamaki frowned.

"Haven't you listened to anything I just said? She isn't the sweet old lady that you're probably used to!"

Snorting in disbelief, Naomi helped herself to some food from her brother's lunch box.

"If only he knew..."

She mused, chewing slowly at the food she had stolen. Trying to ignore his sibling's bad manners, Tamaki changed the subject.

"I'll introduce you to my friends in the Host Club after school. I haven't told them about you yet, but I'm sure they'll love you!"

Naomi snorted once more.

"Are they spoilt young rich kids too?"

Tamaki looked hurt.

"I swear, they couldn't be nicer! Besides, I'm not spoiled; I'm obviously blessed to have such good looks and money."

Before Naomi could reply sarcastically, the bell chimed for afternoon lessons to begin.

"Meet me at the third music room after school. Just come straight in, setup begins right away!"

Tamaki sang. It was clear to see that he was a young man of many passions. And of these passions the Host Club was the one he treasured most. Maybe working with her brother might not be that bad. After all, no matter how annoying he himself was, it was a club so surely there must be one interesting person to talk to? Sweeping crumbs off her canary yellow dress, she trudged wearily to her lesson.

"This school really needs a map."

Groaned Naomi as she scurried up the grand staircase. She was running late and she knew that Tamaki wouldn't let her forget it. She reached the top of the stairs and continued to run along the corridor. Cursing Tamaki and his useless directions, she came across a large, elegant door. There was sign hanging above the door. "Music room 3" It said, in Japanese. Naomi felt a little nervous as she turned the door handle. She still didn't understand what exactly a Host Club was. There definitely wasn't one in her high school back in Manchester. As she opened the grand door, a swirl of rose petals enveloped her. Flapping at them with her hands, she peered into the brightly lit room. Six extremely handsome young men milled about the room, setting out tables and chairs neatly.

"Maybe it's the wrong room..."

Naomi's face flushed.

"Tamaki isn't here..."

None of the men seemed to notice she was lurking in the doorway. "Good! I can sneak out while they're not looking!" At that moment, a tall, bespectacled boy looked her right in the eyes.

"Good afternoon miss, I'm afraid that you're a little early, the Host Club doesn't begin for another fifteen minutes..."

Naomi cringed as the twins she had seen in her home-room class appeared behind her.

"So, new-kid... Who will you be requesting today?"

Slipping into their trademark "twincest" act, they gazed into each other's eyes.

"I'm Hikaru."

"And I'm Kaoru."

"We specialise in brotherly-love!"

They said in perfect unison.

"But Hikaru...Why must we show our love to the world, when so many look down at us for loving each other?"

Hikaru chuckled and held his brother's face close to his own.

"Because it doesn't matter if the world disagrees with our feelings. I'm not ashamed of you, Kaoru. You're the only one that matters..."

Naomi began to wonder what kind of strange organisation the Host Club was. Before she could speak, a small blonde boy wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hey, you're a new guest right? I'm Mitsukuni, but you can call me Honey! That's my cousin, Takashi. He doesn't talk much. Would you like to eat some cake with me?"

Honey laughed and climbed onto his stoic cousin's shoulders. Takashi looked at her blankly and merely grunted. The guy with the glasses smiled briefly.

"I'm Kyouya Ootori, the club's vice-president. I'm afraid that we must ask you to leave for a few minutes, while we finish preparation for today's activities."

"Wait! I'm...here to see Tamaki!"

Tamaki suddenly flounced into the room on cue. Upon noticing his sister, he smiled cheerfully.

"Why Naomi, so glad you could make it!"

The other host club members looked blank.

"Uh... are we missing something here?"

Asked Hikaru.

"Naomi, I see you've met my friends! Gentlemen, this is my younger sister, Naomi. She arrived from England this weekend to meet my father and I."

Naomi smiled nervously.

"Hi there..."

The Host Club members looked at one another.

"You never told us you had a sister, Tamaki! It's nice to meet you Naomi!"

Chirped Honey, glomping her suddenly.

"Not even Kyouya knew, by the looks of things..."

Haruhi noted. Kyouya looked slightly betrayed.

"I may research into the business side of a person's background but I don't pry into the infidelities of my friend's parents!"

He snapped, turning his back on the group.

"I'm sorry guys, I didn't know about her myself. Her mother wrote to my father a few weeks ago, I only met her a couple of days ago."

Naomi shifted from one foot to the other.

"Should I leave?"

She asked awkwardly.

"No, stay here in the club room. I'm sure we can find some use for you."

Tamaki insisted.

She ended up serving instant coffee to the Host Club's clients. Why these obviously rich people were drinking stuff like instant coffee was beyond her, but she really didn't care. All she wanted to do was rest for a few minutes, and have a cup to herself! Taking an elaborately decorated tray of coffee and cake to Kyouya's table, she passed an equally elaborate cup to each guest.

"If there's anything at all I can do for you, please ask."

She smiled falsely. Tamaki and Kyouya had made it perfectly clear that if she wasn't polite to the clients, there would be trouble! Kyouya smiled up at her as he accepted his drink.

"Thank you, Miss Suoh."

He dismissed her quickly, but at least he had thanked her, which was more than Mori and the twins had done! The twins had been preoccupied with their "brotherly love" and Mori, well, Mori just didn't talk! Finally, the clients left and Naomi happily sunk into one of the cushioned seats.

"I must say, you have a knack for serving the clients."

Kyouya commented, taking the chair beside her.

"They all spoke very highly of you."

Naomi blinked at him.

"Oh... thank you. I was just being polite."

Tamaki joined them.

"You should help out more often you know, we really appreciate being able to get on with our jobs without further stress."

He grinned. He looked at his watch and panicked.

"Crap, come on Naomi! We're late!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the chair. As he dragged her out of the room, Naomi cried

"It was nice meeting you all, I guess!"


	5. Chapter 5

The ride to Shizue Suoh's residence was deathly silent. Tamaki was busy preening, hoping for a slight hint of approval from his grandmother. Naomi on the other hand was simply staring out of the window of the limousine, not wanting to meet her at all. Takanobu was driving the limousine even more carefully than usual, as if the Suoh matriarch herself was in the car with them! They pulled up outside the mansion, and were escorted to the grand door by a couple of gray-haired butlers. Naomi could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she came face to face with the wrinkled old woman that would now be called her Grandmother. She saw her father behind her, looking exhausted and uncomfortable from his meeting with her. He cleared his throat.

"Mother, this is my daughter, Naomi."

Naomi smiled awkwardly, her eyes darting around the room.

"Good afternoon, Grandmother. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Usually, Naomi would not have been so polite to this hard-faced old woman. It was clear to see that Shizue radiated definite hatred for both of her Grandchildren, despite having never met her Granddaughter previously. Grandmother Suoh glared at her, scanning her entire body.

"Nasty, gutter child! Do not speak unless spoken to!"

She barked. Naomi knew all hope of a pleasant meeting was destroyed with those words. Naomi immediately attempted to apologise, despite being confused as to what error she had made.

"Don't even bother! I knew you were common just by looking at you. I already have one unwanted child in my care, so don't think you are anything special!"

Grandmother Suoh scolded. Tamaki looked down at his feet in shame and humiliation. The old woman sneered at him.

"What are you snivelling for, you filthy boy? You are yet another product of my son's errors and infidelity; therefore you must pay the price, as does your sibling. For as long as you remain with your father, you shall not be able to contact your mother back in England."

Naomi was horrified. What if her mum got hurt or sick? Naomi would never forgive herself, despite the years of hell that she had been through because of her mother's choices. Tamaki tried to console her after the two melancholy siblings had finally been dismissed, but she refused violently.

"Don't give me any of your sympathy crap!"

She screeched pushing him away from her.

"I don't want you poking your nose into my business! I don't trust you, Tamaki Suoh!"

She pelted down the street away from him, not entirely sure where she was going, but she would never allow herself to cry in front of someone who was still a stranger to her.

Tamaki lay silently on his four-poster bed, thinking of the night's events. He recalled his Grandmother's harsh treatment of Naomi, the look horror on his sister's face as she was told the devastating news, her violent outburst afterwards... He stared solemnly at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep at all, his thoughts kept drifting to his own mother, who he hadn't seen or heard from in a few years. He missed her a lot; she had always been there for her son when he needed her. Now she had disappeared somewhere in France, all he had were his friends in the Host Club. He had to admit, however low he felt, Naomi would be much worse off than him. She was new to Japan, struggled to understand a lot of the language and had only Tamaki to talk to. She had eventually returned to the mansion after sunset and had confined herself to her room. He felt deeply sorry for her, and as he blacked out into much needed sleep, he vowed to somehow make her feel welcome to Japan.


	6. Chapter 6

Tamaki woke up a little later than usual that morning, so he wasn't surprised when he heard that Naomi had already left for school. He was, however, rather startled when he was told what time she had left.

"Miss Naomi asked me to take her to school at about 7am for some reason, Master Tamaki. She didn't say why, other than "she had something to take care of."

Genji Takanobu explained, as he chauffeured Tamaki to Ouran Academy.

"I know it isn't my place to talk about what happened yesterday, but whatever happened, she's pretty devastated about it."

Tamaki smiled weakly.

"It'll stay between you and me, I promise. However, I don't think it would be right to tell you what occurred, other than it's a personal issue."

Takanobu bowed his head as he parked the limousine.

"It's nice of you to look out for her, Master Tamaki."

Tamaki thanked him and made his way through the crowd of students to class.

Meanwhile, Naomi had spent the morning wandering through the school building alone. After finding her home-room class locked, she had ventured up to the third music room.

"After all."

She thought.

"There's no way any of those idiots would be up so early."

She sighed in relief as she found the door unlocked, and peered in. It was pitch-black in the abandoned room, as far as she could see. The luscious velvet curtains were closed, eliminating all daylight.

"Perfect."

She whispered, closing the grand door behind her. It was then she noticed a bright light in one corner of the room. Somebody was in here with her! Squinting a little, she moved a little closer.

"Miss Suoh. What are you doing here so early?"

Naomi recognised the voice as one of the guys she had met yesterday. She moved closer still and was soon able to pick out the facial features of Kyouya Ootori, the tall boy with the glasses, from the light of his laptop.

"Kyouya Ootori?"

He smiled briefly and continued to type.

"You never answered my question."

Naomi scowled and sat down on the nearest chair.

"Not to be rude, but that's really none of your business. Besides, I could ask you the same question."

Kyouya paused for a second.

"I got up far too early today, so I decided to come and work. You know, club business and such."

Naomi was slightly confused.

"But why do you have all the curtains closed? And all the lights off?"

She asked. Kyouya didn't look at her.

"Light is distracting. If the room is dark, I can concentrate better and work harder."

"Oh. Do you want me to leave then?"

Naomi stood up, and headed for the door once again.

"No, it's alright. I'd be glad of the company actually."

Naomi relaxed a little. This guy really wasn't so bad. She had heard Tamaki say that Kyouya could be scary at times, and the Hitachiin twins had apparently nicknamed him the "Shadow King" of the Host club. An awkward silence had enveloped the two acquaintances, and Naomi took this time to ponder why Kyouya Ootori was considered fearsome.

"You don't have to sit so far away from me, you know. I won't eat you."

Naomi blushed violently.

"Is he a mind reader?"

She silently panicked. She quickly composed herself, glad that the room's darkness would hide her face. Brushing her blonde hair out of her face quickly, she sat a little closer to him.

"You should really look at this, you know. No doubt Tamaki will force you into the Host Club at some stage, after all."

Kyouya smirked, beckoning to her. Naomi felt like she was playing musical chairs, with all this moving about! She stood beside him, her eyes aching from the sudden brightness of the screen. "What is it?" She groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"This is the Host Club official website. Our clients place their requests for their host of choice here."

He scanned the list of new requests.

"Tamaki is the most popular, being the most charming of us all. Hikaru and Kaoru are probably the second most popular choice. For some reason, girls seem to love their 'brotherly love' act."

Naomi was curious.

"Well then, where do you stand?"

He gave her a slightly mischievous smile.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Before she could reply, the bell rang for school to begin. Kyouya slammed his laptop shut.

"Well goodbye, Miss Suoh. I hope to see you at the club later today."

He left the room swiftly, and without looking back.

"What a strange young man."

Naomi scoffed to herself as she gathered her things and left for class.


	7. Chapter 7

Kyouya smiled slightly as he wandered down the corridor to home-room. "Interesting..." He mused.

"I expected her to behave more like Tamaki. They look so alike, yet have contrasting personalities..."

He sighed, deep in thought. Naomi had almost caught him out as he delved into the store of information about her online. His research was almost futile- with Naomi being a lowly commoner, it was hard to find out much about her. He continued to process the new-found data in his mind as home-room dragged on. All he had discovered, other than basic information, was that she liked dogs.

"And that doesn't help at all... Besides, how did that get on the internet?"

He frowned.

"Kyouya, have you seen Naomi today?"

He snapped back into reality, as Tamaki's voice disturbed him.

"Yes, in fact, she was with me in the club room."

He replied, closing his notepad suddenly.

"She was?"

Tamaki's voice quivered slightly.

"Is she okay?"

Kyouya nodded.

"She wasn't very talkative, otherwise she was fine. I have a feeling that she was looking for a place to be alone."

Tamaki slumped on his desk.

"I didn't mean to make her upset. I was only trying to help..."

He murmured quietly to himself. Kyouya heard him.

"Well I'm sure you'll have the opportunity to make peace later today, whatever happened. I invited her back to the Host Club, though it's her decision whether to attend or not."

As usual, Tamaki only heard what he wanted to hear.

"Oh that's great, Kyouya! Thank you! I shall work on my apology speech right away!"

He cried, beaming brightly. As his idiot friend began to scribble ideas down, Kyouya couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Naomi.

"Good luck, Naomi Suoh. I suppose you'll need it..."

Naomi mooched about the school, looking for the cafeteria. She had completely forgotten about breakfast, and to ask for lunch to be made up for her. Her stomach growled violently as she followed an unusually delicious scent to a grand dining hall.

"This...is the cafeteria?"

She stared in wonder as a row of students queued up to receive a luxurious platter of food each. Quickly joining the queue, Naomi took the opportunity to look for a place to sit. Noticing that there was a free table in the corner of the room, Naomi made her way over with her lunch. Before she could set her food down, she heard a high-pitched voice call her name.

"Naomi-Chan! Sit with us!"

Honey cried gaily, waving to her ecstatically.

"Well, I guess it's better than being on my own..."

Naomi shrugged, sitting down beside him. Honey was not alone; Haruhi, Mori and the twins were eating with him. She was glad Tamaki wasn't here- although she had realised he was only trying to comfort her, she couldn't bear to look him in the eye.

"We were just talking about you!"

Beamed Honey, tucking into a large slice of cake.

"Really? What about?"

Naomi scanned them suspiciously. They had seemed so nice yesterday, were they making fun of her? Haruhi saw the look on her face and smiled.

"Nothing bad, I promise. We were just wondering if you were settling in okay!"

Naomi felt a little reassured, and took a bite of her steak.

"If only we had food like this back home..."

She sighed, trying not to think too much about her mum.

"Here, Naomi-Chan, try this!"

Before she could reply, a small spoonful of cake was thrust into her mouth by Honey.

"I don't share cake with just anyone, so that makes you special! We can be friends, right?"

Naomi grinned in spite of herself.

"Sure we can! You're my first friend here, you know."

She felt the other hosts stare at her in surprise.

"Really? In that case, I'll be your second."

Haruhi grinned.

"Uh...Any friend of Honey's is a friend of mine."

Mori blurted, provoking surprised looks from all of the surrounding tables.

"I guess that counts me and Kaoru in..."

Chuckled Hikaru.

"Besides, it'd make the boss happy to see you settle in."

"Well I'm only supposed to be staying for a couple of months. After that I should really get back to England..."

She looked delighted.

"But thanks guys, it really means a lot to me!"

"Will you be joining in with club activities later?" Haruhi asked.

"Well, I guess so. The mansion gets kind of lonely, after all..."

Eventually, the school day ended and once again, Naomi made her way up to the third music room.

"Naomi-san. It's good to see you again."

She looked up in surprise.

"Good afternoon, Kyouya-senpai. Wait... Weren't you calling me Miss Suoh just this morning?"

Kyouya looked at her from over the top of his glasses.

"Is that a problem?"

Naomi shook her head.

"No, in fact it's a relief. I actually miss being called by my first name."

Kyouya smiled thinly.

"Go right in, the twins and Haruhi are setting up."

"Then... why are you waiting outside?"

Kyouya pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"I have some business to attend to before the clients arrive. Also, there is a costume waiting for you inside. You can change in the store room."

Without another word, Kyouya was gone. Naomi shivered.

"Costume? Oh dear God, what horrors await me?"

Sure enough, Hikaru and Kaoru pounced on her the minute she entered the room.

"Go and change into this! You're gonna love it!"

A black and white maid's outfit was thrust into her arms.

"But...I'm not a host..."

She protested, noticing that they were wearing matching waiter's uniforms.

"Yeah, but Tamaki says that everyone should be dressed to match. So, go and change!"

A look of disgust clouded Naomi's face.

"Tamaki!"

She growled. Suddenly, somebody grabbed her and pulled her into the store room.

"Tamaki! What are you doing? Get off me!"

She shrieked, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. He looked at her solemnly.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go until you've heard this."

He sat her down in a spare chair and locked the door.

"Can't it wait?"

She sighed, glaring at him.

"I know you're upset about your mother, and that you've tried to keep your cool all day. I want you to know that I'm in a similar situation. I came to Japan from France to live with my father. My mother had some kind of illness and was unable to travel with me. My mother was the woman my father wanted to get over. That's how you were supposedly conceived."

Naomi looked at him.

"What happened to your mother?"

She whispered.

"She disappeared a short time after I'd left. I think she's still in France, but I can't be sure..."

He mused, tears building up in his eyes. Suddenly he looked up and beamed.

"But that's one of the reasons I am so strong today! I thought of the host club to ease my initial loneliness, with Kyouya's assistance of course. If it hadn't been for the Host Club, I think I'd still be the melancholy young boy I was then!"

Naomi couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Tamaki...I'm sorry..."

Tamaki grinned and gave her a huge bear hug.

"I will protect you, little sister."

He whispered into her ear.

"Plus, you're only here for a couple of months. You'll see your mother very soon."

Naomi wriggled free, trying to hide any sign of fondness for him.

"You had that whole speech planned out, didn't you?"

Tamaki looked uncomfortable.

"N-no... What makes you think that?"

He blushed.

"You think I'm blind? There's a sheet of paper on the floor with the words "Apology speech" on it."

She began to genuinely laugh as Tamaki hurriedly picked up the note.

"It must be Kyouya's...I'm sure it's Kyouya's!"

He insisted.

"Yeah whatever, Tamaki. Now get out of here and let me get changed."

Tamaki waved gracefully at her and unlocked the door.


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh look, isn't that Tamaki's little sister?"

"How precious! They look so adorable together!"

Tamaki sauntered over to his clients, smiling flirtatiously.

"Good afternoon ladies! I hope you'll forgive my brief absence. You see, my younger sister was a little upset and I wanted to cheer her up."

His fan-girls suddenly squealed.

"Oh how sweet of you Tamaki! You're such a kind person!"

He flashed them a perfect smile.

"Would you like me to introduce her to you? I made sure to give her some privacy yesterday, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind meeting beautiful young women like yourselves..."

Naomi looked down at her feet in embarrassment.

"Oh so that's what a Host Club is... They're basically pimps!"

She thought to herself, laughing silently. She hadn't thought to observe properly yesterday, being under the scrutinizing eyes of Tamaki and Kyouya. Now, they both seemed a little more relaxed and so she could fully pay attention to the environment around her. Hikaru and Kaoru had resumed their trademark 'twincest' act, gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. Their clients swooned around them. Naomi really didn't understand- in her high school, being called 'gay' was an insult, though she never used it as such. Her best friend was a lesbian, who had endured such abuse for her sexuality. Shaking off the memories, she focused now on Honey and Mori. As Honey tucked into endless piles of cake, Mori watched over him saying nothing. And yet again, the girls swooned. She had discovered that Honey, despite his tiny stature, was pretty much the same age as his cousin! Which was weird, come to think of it, most eighteen year olds wouldn't care for cake and toys. As for Haruhi, the 'natural type' according to Kyouya, he didn't seem to be trying hard at all. She couldn't help but think that he was a little too feminine to be a boy. Finally, she turned her attention to the shadow king himself. To her surprise, he was looking straight back at her!

"Naomi-san, please bring us more coffee."

He called, gesturing to his clients. They were all fairly pretty young women, who stared adoringly at the bespectacled boy before them. Naomi nodded slowly and stiffly moved over to the store room. The maids' uniform was uncomfortable and she felt self-conscious. It wasn't too revealing, but she wasn't used to prancing around in front of complete strangers. As she placed the coffee cups in front of each client, and Kyouya, she looked at him closely for the first time. He had jet-black hair that flowed around his ears, silver-grey eyes that hid behind silver-rimmed glasses and a thin, serious smile. Kyouya wondered why she was staring at him, but took in her own facial features. She had shoulder-length blonde hair with side-swept bangs (the twins had certainly worked wonders on her!), large blue-grey eyes and a slightly worn, yet charming, face. What was he thinking? He'd only known the girl for two days!

"Thank you."

He turned away, dismissing her. Naomi frowned, heading over to Tamaki, who greeted her ecstatically.

"Ah, here she is! Ladies, this is my delightful sister, Naomi."

Naomi bowed politely, but awkwardly. "Is she going to be a host, Tamaki?" One of the fan-girls inquired.

"Well I would like her to be, though I have no right to force her. It is her decision, after all."

Great. Now she had been put on the spot.

"Um...Well...I don't think anybody would request me to be honest... I'm nowhere near as pretty as any of you ladies."

The clients melted, and rushed to glomp her.

"Oh you poor thing, of course you are!"

As the girls squeezed her, Naomi managed to wink at Tamaki.

"Why, you're a natural!"

He mouthed, a look of utter pride on his face.

Once the clients had left, Tamaki gathered all the hosts around one table. Naomi had been told to wait outside, and had reluctantly done so.

"Gentlemen!"

Tamaki cried dramatically.

"Ahem."

Frowned Haruhi, a sweat-drop forming on her face.

"Oh, and of course my lovely daughter."

He blushed, cursing himself for getting too caught up in his new plan.

"As you know, I have recruited young Naomi into the..."

"Yeah, yeah. We met her already, boss."

The twins interrupted in perfect unison as always. Tamaki glared at them, and then returned to his speech.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I have suggested to Naomi that she should join the host club."

Kyouya smirked.

"May I make a brief interruption? Naomi has been a student at Ouran for just two days. She is staying for just two months, plus it appears that she has had little to no interest from male students of the school. I also presume she isn't attracted to female students? She has no experience in hosting, what man would want that?"

"Besides, what kind of rich man wants a commoner for a host?"

Hikaru added. Haruhi stood up.

"Well for once, I have to agree with Tamaki. I mean, didn't you guys say I should spend more time with girls of my age? Plus, she said that she had no other friends here than us and that the mansion was lonely. I think that we should give her a chance."

The other hosts nodded in agreement.

"Fine... If that's what you want. "

Kyouya shrugged, looking at his laptop. Honey peered at it.

"She's gone, Tama-chan!"

Tamaki beamed.

"See? I told you my plan would work! Now that Naomi isn't listening, I can tell you the real reason I summoned you here. To welcome my darling sibling to both Ouran and Japan, I propose we hold a grand ball!"

The twins shrugged.

"We throw balls all the time, they aren't exactly exciting."

Tamaki grinned.

"Maybe not to us, with the exception of Haruhi, we're filthy rich. Naomi on the other hand was raised as a commoner."

Kyouya was writing something down in his notebook.

"It seems that since this is a host club event, a lot of female fans will attend. In fact, we should be able to make some profit."

"Exactly Kyouya! As commoners say, it would kill two birds with one stone!"

"B-but why would you want to kill little birdies Tama-chan?"

Honey looked up at him with tears in his eyes. Mori glared at Tamaki for making his cousin cry.

"N-no Honey-senpai, it's just an expression! Nothing to fear!"

Tamaki laughed nervously. "Anyway, I suggest that our theme should be Dinner in the Enchanted Garden. There will be music, dancing and of course the beautiful gentlemen of the Host Club attending to each lady. And at the climax of the evening, I personally shall introduce Naomi as the first official female host!"

As Tamaki daydreamed gleefully of his own ideas, the rest of the club stared blankly.

"Well...I guess we should go along with it. It is for Naomi's sake after all..."

Haruhi smiled. Kyouya looked over at his laptop.

"Tamaki, Nekozawa just gave something to your sister..."

Naomi pressed her ear to the keyhole. She could hear them slightly, which was good since she already knew they were discussing her.

"Naomi has been a student at Ouran for just two days. She is staying for just two months, plus it appears that she has had little to no interest from male students of the school. She has no experience in hosting, what man would want that?"

Kyouya's voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Besides, what kind of rich man wants a commoner for a host?"

She heard one of the twins add.

"What? They were just pretending to be nice!"

She growled, clenching her fists.

"And I was just starting to like them too... Well, I'm not staying where I'm not wanted!"

She walked swiftly down the empty corridor only to suddenly find herself surrounded by shadows. Somebody (or something!) grabbed her and she could hear a strange chanting as they dragged her towards a darkened doorway she hadn't noticed before. She struggled to free herself- she had been pulled into too many strange rooms today and she didn't really want to add to the list. A sinister voice came from the shadows.

"I detect a dark past and a little lost soul to go with it."

Naomi frowned.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?"

A pale hand came forth from the shadows.

"Umehito Nekozawa, third year student and president of the schools black magic club... Welcome to our club room!"

The hand gestured towards the now open doorway. She could make out the face of the...thing in front of her, although it was covered mostly with a black hood.

"What kind of messed up school is this?"

She wondered aloud. Ignoring her, Nekozawa continued.

"I sense that you've just had your feelings hurt... Here..."

He grabbed her hand and pressed a small wooden figurine into it.

"Thanks, I guess...but...what is it?"

Nekozawa smiled widely. It was rare that people showed an interest in his work.

"It's a curse doll. You inscribe the name of the person you want to curse on the bottom!"

"Does it work? Seriously? That's kind of cool!"

Nekozawa grinned.

"You can keep it if you like. I made this myself, you know."

Naomi was impressed.

"If you are ever in need of a little black magic, the Black Magic club will be waiting..."

Before she could reply to this, something knocked Nekozawa to the floor.

"Stop harassing my sister!"

The flying object howled, landing smoothly on its feet.

Nekozawa was sprawled across the floor, a cat puppet and a black wig lying lifelessly beside him. Jerking to his feet suddenly, he screeched and disappeared immediately into the darkness. His fellow club members seized his forgotten possessions and followed him.

"I wasn't being harassed you know. He was just trying to be friendly."

Tamaki frowned at her.

"Don't get involved with him Naomi. That guy is evil!"

"And how would you know, other than the fact he runs a black magic club? That is pretty creepy, but never mind that! You can't attack everyone who talks to me!"

She flushed as she saw the entire Host club watching her.

"She is right, Tamaki. If you keep this up, nobody will talk to her."

Kyouya added. "Yeah boss, how do you expect her to make friends if you won't let her talk to anyone?"

The twins chorused. Naomi narrowed her eyes.

"You have no right to talk about friendship. I overheard your little conversation, and I see I'm not welcome at the Host Club!"

"Naomi, it's not like that!"

Haruhi pleaded.

"No, I think it's exactly like that. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved with you all! It proves my little theory right once again- you can't trust anyone who seems friendly!"

"Naomi-chan! Wait!"

Honey wailed, and Mori grunted.

"Naomi-san, please don't make rash decisions. You probably heard something wrong."

Kyouya explained, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Keep away from me Kyouya Ootori! I may be just a commoner to you, but at least I have a heart!"

She yelled, and she turned and left.

"Great plan boss. Look what you've done now!"

Hikaru jeered.

"Some ladies man you are."

Kaoru frowned.

"I-I didn't..."

Tamaki spluttered. Haruhi glared at him with her big chocolate eyes.

"I don't think an apology will work this time, senpai. You'd better put all your heart into the planning of this ball."

Kyouya simply said nothing. He was hurt, though he didn't quite know why. He heard his friends call him heartless on a daily basis, but nothing had hurt him as bad as this. Shaking his head, he left the others to verbally attack Tamaki. As he made his way home, he pondered Naomi's words. She had obviously been near-friendless for a while now, since she found it hard to trust. He noted it down half-heartedly.

"Poor girl."

He mused, ignoring the cries of his limo driver as he walked away.

"I guess if I am to learn more about her, I must help Tamaki with his stupid plan."


	9. Chapter 9

"Damn rich people, they think that I'm just a toy."

Naomi cursed, still clutching the carved Beelzeneff curse doll. She looked at it closely as she walked and noticed it had a little note pinned to the base.

"Carve the name of your victim on the back of this doll, and misfortune will soon rain down upon them."

As she scanned the note, she knocked into somebody and fell to the ground.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin'! You gotta be more careful, you hear?"

A young man's voice growled, as the owner stretched a hand out to her.

"Uh...Sorry about that. There's just something on my mind."

She smiled apologetically, taking the young man's hand and letting him pull her up. She might have been annoyed, but there was no sense in taking it out on a stranger.

"Hey you're an Ouran student aren't you? Why didn't you get a car home?"

"I don't really want to talk about it. Sorry."

Kasanoda shrugged.

"Sure. I'm Ritsu Kasanoda by the way."

"Naomi Harper-Suoh. And before you say anything, yes I am related to that idiot Tamaki."

Kasanoda suddenly realised that he was actually talking to a girl! His face would surely terrify most people but Naomi didn't seem to be even the slightest bit afraid of him...yet. He looked down at his feet awkwardly.

"Uh... I know. If you're gonna run away I understand."

Naomi cocked her head to one side.

"You think you're scary or something? Where I come from you'd be boring!"

"Is that meant to be a compliment?"

"Take it as you will."

Naomi leaned against the wall beside Kasanoda, who oughed nervously.

"So... what's up with you?"

He dared to ask once more. Naomi looked at the floor awkwardly.

"It's nothing you'd be interested in. Ever heard of that damn Host Club and its heartless shadow king?"

Kasanoda smiled smugly at the very thought of his experience.

"You know, I've had some weird experiences with the Host club. But let me tell you, however harsh they can be, they always seem to have a plan up their sleeve. So don't lose heart in them, okay? They'll surprise you."

Naomi found herself snorting rudely.

"Really? Well then, what's the worst thing they did to you?"

The yakuza heir flushed beetroot red as he remembered.

"Uh...They dressed me as a kitty maid. It wasn't fun..."

"Well I didn't see that one coming..."

Naomi tried not to laugh at the sentence she had just heard. After a few seconds of struggling, she threw back her head and laughed harder than she had in several years. Tears streamed down her face, for more reasons than one as puzzled Kasanoda simply stared at her blankly.

"Uh... you ok?"

Naomi wiped her eyes quickly, determined not to cry in front of a stranger.

"I'm fine. In fact, you just made my day a little better! Thanks for that. Oh and don't worry, I'm not as mean as you probably think. I won't tell. See you!"

She smiled weakly, waved and left the confused red-head alone. After that strange encounter, he only had one word to say...

"Wow..."

That night, Naomi found herself outside Tamaki's bedroom. Smirking evilly, she pressed her hand to the door knob.

"He's so emotional, I'm certain that his diary will be full of secrets about the Host Club. It'll be the perfect payback!"

She turned the knob slowly.

"Wait!"

She wondered aloud.

"What if he's...naked?"

Shuddering at the thought of a naked Tamaki, she put on a brave face and pushed the elaborate door ajar.

Relieved that her brother was at least under the sheets, she began to tiptoe towards him. Suddenly, she heard him speak and rapidly slid under the bed.

"Haruhi, mon amour! Je t'aime, ma Chérie!"

Quickly recovering from her initial shock (and the fact that her sibling was seemingly in love with a man!) she slipped her hand into his pillowcase. Her fingers trembled slightly as they brushed over a textured book.

"Jackpot!"

She grinned smugly, creeping back across the room. Once again in the safety of her new room, she flicked through Tamaki's (not so secret anymore) diary.

"Hmm... WHY THE HELL MUST HE BE FRENCH?" She pouted, moving sullenly to her brand new laptop. After a few clicks, she was on a roll, typing and translating rapidly.

"Jeez...He's so...BORING!" She frowned, as she skimmed through the translations.

"Haruhi this, Haruhi that. Why doesn't he just ask him out?"

She suddenly noticed that the word "Daughter" appeared rather a lot in the journal.

"How didn't I notice before? Haruhi clearly is a girl- it's all in the eyes!"

She giggled slightly, cursing her own stupidity.

"Still, this isn't what I'm looking for. She stuck up for me, in fact, so I guess her secret's safe."

By the time she reached Tamaki's most recent entry, she was growing frustrated.

"Not one embarrassing secret in sight! Damn Tamaki! Wait..."

There were two pages that appeared to be stuck together somehow, and Naomi could see words through the flimsy paper. Prising them apart, she read them solemnly.

"I have discovered that I must be the biggest fool in Japan, if not the world! How could I have thought that this would be a brilliant plan? All I wanted was to find a way to keep her out of the club's way for a while. You know, so we could discuss the upcoming welcome-to-Japan treat I planned for her. Even my darling Haruhi told me how wrong I was! I will say no more on the subject of Naomi's treat, in case she is so angry, she searches through here for revenge."

Naomi wasn't sure whether to be pleased or to throw the little book at the wall.

"Tamaki Suoh...You are a complete idiot!"

She thought, smiling widely in spite of herself.

"Great...now I feel bad. And how did he know what I was going to do? Ah... well... since I can't apologise for this without landing into more trouble, I should pretend I never read this."

She wiped the impending tears of joy from her eyes.

"Does that mean that Kyouya and Hikaru were just playing along? I'll pretend to still be angry with them until this treat is revealed. Until then, I can still be friends with Haruhi, Honey and Mori, right?"

Tamaki had his eyes half closed as Naomi returned his diary. As she slipped out of the door, he smiled at the ceiling.

"My dear sister, I owe this to you. I know that I screwed up badly, but I hope that your surprise will make amends for my idiocy..."


	10. Chapter 10

Tamaki smiled ecstatically as he led Kyouya, Hikaru and Kaoru up the grand staircase in the second Suoh mansion.

"This is it!"

He grinned unlocking the pristine, white door. Kyouya had decided that the best way to find out more about the youngest Suoh sibling would be to ransack her bedroom.

"Wait... isn't this invading her privacy?"

Tamaki pouted, knowing they'd only be adding fuel to the fire if Naomi found out about this.

"Personal items tell the most about a person."

Kyouya declared, pulling out his infamous notepad. He had put together the perfect plan. Honey, Mori and Haruhi had dragged her to the beach for the whole day so that the remaining hosts could research Naomi's interests. Kyouya couldn't help but be slightly jealous of Mori and Honey, for they would inevitably see Naomi in a swimsuit. One by one, the handsome young men filed into the room, with the exception of Tamaki. The others had easily come to the conclusion that Tamaki would be more of a hindrance than a help during the investigation. He pouted in the corridor, irritating the maids by spawning mushrooms in the plush carpet.

Meanwhile, Hikaru and Kaoru were exploring a battered suitcase under Naomi's bed.

"It doesn't look like she has anything appropriate to wear."

Kaoru frowned, holding a holey old jumper at arm's length.

"She really is a commoner! Have you seen this dress? Ugh... this girl needs a makeover and fast!"

Kyouya glared at them.

"If you haven't noticed, we have far more important things to do than criticize her taste in clothes!"

He barked, as the twins backed into the corner of the room in fear. He opened up the top drawer of her bedside cabinet to find several pairs of underwear staring up at him. Blushing guiltily, he sifted through them in the hopes of finding her journal. Trying to ignore the twins' chants of "Pervert!" he quickly pulled the little leather book from its place.

"Shut up! At least I found something useful!"

He snapped, flicking through the pages. Every so often, to the twins' bewilderment, he would smirk and note something down.

"Interesting..."

He would murmur and scour each page for more information.

The twins quickly became bored, and used a screwed up piece of paper they found to design a ball gown for their newest project. All of a sudden, the three young men heard a screech from the corridor.

"Honey-senpai! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Tamaki squealed into the phone.

"But Tama-chan! It's almost five o'clock, she was getting tired!"

Kyouya pushed his glasses up his nose and tried to replace the journal discreetly.

"It would seem that Naomi is returning home. For your own good, I'd tidy up. We're all in her bad books right now."

Naomi had been reluctant to get out of bed that morning. It was a Saturday, and this was the first chance of a lie-in she had had in several years. She had still been sound asleep when Haruhi came in to collect her to take her to the Ootori private beach.

"Naomi-san, the driver is waiting for us!"

There was no response.

"I'll handle this!"

Chuckled Honey, smiling widely. He took a deep breath and jumped onto the quivering lump under the duvet.

"NAOMI-CHAN! WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH!"

He yelled, attacking her with the pillow.

And so they dragged her, half-asleep to the limousine.

After the initial surprise (and embarrassment when she realised she was asleep on the beach in her pyjamas!), they had a great day of playing commoners games, eating ice creams and buying Naomi more swimsuits than she knew what to do with! Even Mori, who was known to be almost always silent, smiled more than once that day.

"Thanks guys, we should do this again more often!"

She grinned, clutching several bags filled with beach items.

That night, all the male hosts stayed at the Suoh mansion to plan the impending ball. Naomi had been taken to spend the night at Haruhi's apartment, where she wouldn't figure out what was going on.

"Purple! Her favourite colour is purple!"

Cried Hikaru, holding up a roll of violet silk.

"But the green would really bring out her eyes!"

Yelled Kaoru, thrusting a roll of emerald velvet at his twin. The design for the dress was agreed upon, but the Hitachiin brothers were at odds over which fabric to choose. It had been decided that on the day of the ball, they would make her over completely. Tamaki had put himself in charge of the entertainment and costumes for the event while Honey had chosen to plan the food (Or more specifically, the sweets!) Mori would be in charge of the real food, to balance out Honey's decision on desserts. Kyouya was the promoter and financier of the event, and was to find inventive way of attracting both host club clients and outsiders to the ball.

"I think that we should have commoner food, Mori-senpai!"

Tamaki announced, flinging a list of commoner's items to the stoic host.

"That way she'll feel more comfortable as she'll be eating what she knows she likes!"

Kyouya glared at him.

"Tamaki, please focus on your own area. Besides, the whole point of this ball is to make her feel special, not treat her as a commoner."

Mori nodded and tore the list in two.

"Hikaru and Kaoru, may I suggest that you choose the purple silk? Velvet is overrated."

The twins stopped arguing at once.

"Hey! Who died and put you in charge?"

They chorused, pouting defiantly at the shadow king. Kyouya's eyes glimmered with malice.

"Since you morons couldn't plan anything to save your own insignificant lives, it would be only right to put me in charge."

He smirked.

"Besides, I have my ways of ensuring this ball goes smoothly. Any _obstructions_ could easily be removed..."

The twins looked at each other, not in fear, but in realisation. Then that realisation turned into uncontrollable giggling. Suddenly, they stood up and announced:

"We nominate ourselves to arrange the seating plan!"

Tamaki's handsome face contorted with terror.

"You two... arrange the seating plan? As long as I may live, I shall NEVER trust you with such a thing!"

He screeched.

"Relax Tama-chan. Maybe it's time for you to put some faith in them!"

Honey beamed. Mori nodded in agreement, looking up from his project.

"I agree, for once. It would take one more load off our backs."

Kyouya sighed, pushing his glasses up. He turned to focus on the shady twins.

"But I expect you to be sensible. If you make any mistake whatsoever, not only will you have to be my slaves for the rest of the semester, but you will have to cosplay as unicorns for a whole week!"

The twins shrugged.

"Bring it on Ootori!"

Hikaru and Kaoru were the last ones to sleep. The other hosts had passed out in various parts of the room. Honey was snuffling quietly on Mori's muscular chest while Tamaki was curled up on the cold floor, shivering in his sleep. Kyouya had finally succumbed to sleep around 3AM, and his head rested uncomfortably on his black notepad. The twins had been cutting and sewing for many hours and the dress was looking rather spectacular by now.

"You were right about the silk. It will suit her beautifully."

Whispered Kaoru as they stood back to behold their finished work.

"I have to say, we've really outdone ourselves this time!"

Hikaru grinned, placing his arm round his brother's shoulder.

"I looked at the notes for the seating plan. You put Haruhi and milord together?"

Hikaru didn't look at him.

"Yeah... It's time I stopped being so selfish. I know that she's all I want right now, but it's only fair that I let her get what she wants."

"That's very noble of you, but how do you know that she loves milord?"

Hikaru chuckled sadly.

"You can see it in her eyes when he comes near. No matter how annoyed she is with him, it's clear that she's happy he's around. And if she's happy, I guess I'm happy too..."

Kaoru smiled proudly. He had never seen his brother act so selflessly, and though he knew that Hikaru would hurt for a while, he'd bounce back. He always did.

"I'm proud of you Hikaru..."

And with those few words, Kaoru drifted into well deserved sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Naomi lay back on Haruhi's floor with a weary sigh. Ranka, Haruhi's transvestite father, had at first been overjoyed that her daughter was finally spending more time with girl friends. The next morning, his view of Naomi had suddenly changed when he realised how much she and Tamaki looked alike.

"Naomi dear? By any chance, are you a relation of Tamaki Suoh?"

He plastered an obviously fake smile on his face.

"I'm afraid so."

Naomi giggled nervously, noticing how the bubbly transvestite's mood had suddenly changed for the worst.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Before Ranka could launch a verbal attack on the absent host club king, Haruhi interrupted him.

"Dad! It's not polite to make fun of other people's families!"

She smiled apologetically.

"Dad hates Tamaki to death. Don't take it personally."

"If it makes you feel any better, Ranka-san, I can assure you that I am nothing like my brother. In fact, I only found out we were related a couple of weeks ago."

Ranka sighed, looking at his watch.

"I should hope not! Never mind, I have to go to work. Have fun girls!"

He closed Haruhi's door behind him. As he left through the front door, a light breeze swept some ashes from a burning incense stick onto the beige sofa...

In the tiny bedroom, Haruhi smiled reassuringly at her shaken blonde friend.

"Don't worry, he's alright really. Hopefully, he won't harass you anymore. As long as you don't start acting like Tamaki and grow mushrooms in my closet or something."

"So why does the fact that you're a girl need to be kept a secret?"

Haruhi groaned.

"Well... when I first joined the Host Club, it was because I knocked over an expensive vase. Of course, not being rich made it impossible to pay back with money. They basically made me their slave and then a host. They figured out I was a girl easily though, except for Tamaki. Then again, he's such an idiot, he's still think I was a boy if he hadn't walked in on me changing! "

She laughed softly, remembering all the good times being a host had brought her. Naomi's eyes bulged in shock.

"Well I guess that's Tamaki for you... But I still don't get it, how have you pulled this off all this time? I mean, it's pretty obvious that you're not a boy!"

Haruhi shrugged smiling slightly.

"I still don't know. In a way, I'm kind of glad. If it weren't for my clumsiness, I wouldn't have gotten to know those morons as well as I have."

Naomi chuckled to herself.

"I can see why Tamaki and the others think so highly of you."

Haruhi cocked her head to the side in confusion. Before she could reply, she saw Naomi tilt her head up suddenly, and sniff the air. Her azure eyes widened in alarm.

"Haruhi...Can you smell smoke?"

Haruhi inhaled slowly. Sure enough, she could smell the scent of burning from another room in the apartment. Deciding to investigate, Naomi tugged open the stiff screen door, noticing the black smoke seeping into the room.

She cried out in alarm as a terrified Haruhi peeked over her shoulder.

"Get out through the window!"

Haruhi screamed, sliding the meagre window open. The two girls swung themselves out onto the balcony, coughing violently. Looking in they could see the fire spread throughout the tiny living room.

Haruhi banged on the door of the next apartment.

"Please open the door! There's a fire in my apartment!"

She screeched, continuing to pummel the wood with her fists. Naomi rushed along the balcony, frantically battering each door as she passed.

"Get out of there now! Somebody call the fire service!"

As confused neighbours poked their heads around their doors, they realised in alarm that their homes could be in jeopardy. Many of them filed out, but some remained inside to collect possessions.

"I said get out! Do you want to die?"

Naomi shrieked as she pushed through the thickening crowds in search of Haruhi. As the terrified neighbours clattered down the narrow stairs, Naomi saw a figure climb into Haruhi's apartment. Realising at once who it could be, she bolted past the last few stragglers and clambered into the bedroom. The smoke was thickening quickly and it became hard to see or breathe. Dropping to the ground, she crawled through the door which had been left ajar.

"Haruhi! What the hell are you doing?"

The entire room was ablaze and hues of tangerine and amber were cast on the bare walls. The onyx smoke enveloped everything, making it near-impossible to see. Crouching as low as she could, Naomi could just make out a faint shadow. She crept closer, and was able to pick out the shape of a leg through the sooty cloud. Haruhi was slumped across the family altar, clutching a framed photograph.

"M...mother?"

She murmured as her chocolate brown eyes fluttered shut...

Kyouya felt a strange buzzing sensation against his cheek as he awoke that morning. He reluctantly sat upright to investigate what had disturbed his slumber. His sleek (and expensive!) cell phone peeled itself from Kyouya's flesh and clattered onto the notepad below. Across the room, Tamaki woke up giggling as his dog Antoinette licked his face lovingly. Kyouya growled at them. He never had been a morning person. The phone continued ring and vibrate against the notepad.

"Ootori Kyouya, who is this?"

His initial anger was gone in a flash.

"Oh, Doctor Kagome? What? Suoh-san and Fujioka-san are with you?"

Tamaki saw his friends face turn unnaturally pale and his stomach churned in fear.

"I'll be right there..."

Kyouya let the phone drop as he rose from the floor, his head jolting violently as he leapt to his feet.

"Tamaki! Call your driver!"

He barked loudly, causing the remaining hosts to arise quickly.

"What's the matter, Kyou-chan?"

Honey croaked grumpily. He too was not a morning person, but sensed there was something wrong immediately.

"There's been a fire at Haruhi's apartment. The girls are in one of my families' hospitals..."

Naomi opened her eyes after what seemed like an eternity to her. Where was she? The room had a distinctly familiar hospital smell, but she couldn't be sure. Hell, she couldn't even remember what had happened before now, her head felt fuzzy.

"Wait...there was fire..."

She mused, too tired to speak aloud.

"And Haruhi was there...Oh my God!"

She bolted painfully upright, scanning the room for assistance. She knew for sure she was in the hospital now, as she could see the strange equipment scatted around the sterile white room.

"Ah, Suoh-sama! You are awake now, I see!"

A young, grinning nurse stared at her. Naomi ignored this, and forced the words she had to say out of her mouth.

"Fujioka-san...Is she okay?"

The nurse's expression turned serious.

"She is in the next bed. Ootori-sama requested that you two be kept together."

Sure enough, Haruhi lay unconscious in the small bed she hadn't noticed before. She looked tired and frail, but at least she wasn't dead...yet...

"Will she live?"

Naomi whispered hoarsely. The nurse nodded.

"She's suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns, as you are. Otherwise she is fine. In fact, she woke up a little while before you!"

Naomi sighed in relief and thanked her. Sinking back into the starched white pillow, she closed her eyes again and listened to the sounds of the hospital. A small voice croaked to her.

"You...saved me..."

Haruhi was awake now and smiling weakly at her saviour.

"I...I did?"

Haruhi nodded, wincing as her hospital robe rubbed against one of the worst burns.

"You came after me and somehow pulled me out of there. I owe you my life..."

Naomi flushed in embarrassment.

"It's okay, at least you're not dead! You don't owe me anything!"

Pulling herself upright again, she found herself glaring half-heartedly at the tomboy in the neighbouring bed.

"You're a bloody idiot you know! What the hell were you thinking?"

She spat the poisonous words out, causing Haruhi to sigh dejectedly.

"I know... but I had to get this..."

She produced a small framed picture of a beautiful woman.

"Is that your mum?"

Naomi's expression softened as Haruhi nodded.

"She died when I was very young. This is the only thing I have left of her, now that the apartment is gone..."

Her blackened face crumpled and sooty tears ran down her face.

"I want my dad!"

She whispered, wiping her eyes mournfully. Ranka was quickly ushered in by the nurse and rushed to hug his daughter.

"Daddy's here, sweetheart..."

He soothed, wiping her face on his burgundy sweater. Naomi watched them gloomily. Of course she was happy for them, but her own father was too busy to communicate with her much. Yuzuru Suoh appeared in the doorway along with a grey-haired businessman.

"Hello Naomi."

He smiled thinly.

"Hello father."

Her voice showed no trace of emotion, as she knew that there would be no affection in any words or actions from him.

"As glad as I am that you are alive, do you realize how irresponsible and down-right stupid you were? You could have been seriously hurt!"

Naomi felt a little angry. She had saved somebody's life and he still wouldn't treat her like his daughter.

"Not to be rude, _father,_ but I did what was necessary."

She seethed, noticing the businessman in her father's shadow frown at her behind thick sunglasses.

"So this is your daughter, Suoh?"

The man asked monotonously.

"She's not a suitable heir for your corporation! I have never seen such an impertinent child in my life!"

Yuzuru glared at him.

"Nonsense, Ootori. She's just adapting to being conscious again. After all, she's been out for almost two days."

"Ootori? He's Kyouya's dad?"

Naomi mused, watching the hard-faced man leave the room with a quick bow.

Yuzuru turned his attention back to her.

"Now that he's gone, I can tell you how proud I am of you."

He perched on a plush chair beside the bed.

"You're proud of me?"

Yuzuru chuckled softly, patting her hand.

"Of course I am. It takes guts to go back into a fire to save your friend! Of course it was stupid, but I really can't blame you for doing it. Tamaki would have done the same, you know? You two are more alike than you realise!"

Naomi genuinely smiled, despite the comment about Tamaki.

"Did he visit?"

"He did, as did the rest of the Host Club. In fact, I believe they're still asleep in the waiting room!"

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. With that, he left the room and six tired, yet handsome men replaced him.

"Welcome back..." They chorused softly, smiling with tears in their eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

The next few days consisted of the two girls being fussed over by customers of the host club. Haruhi had been showered with far more useless gifts than she could handle, mainly chocolates, and the majority had been handed over to Naomi. Naomi herself had also been given several gifts- it'd been like Christmas, except it was the middle of November! There was no way she would be able to fit all these in her tiny bedroom back home, so she reluctantly sifted through them to pick out her favourites.

"They're probably from Tamaki's fan-girls anyway. They're just using me to get in his good books..."

She noticed Haruhi glaring at her from across the room.

"What did I do?"

Haruhi continued to frown at her.

"Not everybody wants to use you, Naomi. They might be a bit dim, but they mean well."

"Well...Let's just say I've tested that theory too many times only to have it proven wrong."

Naomi shrugged and popped a marzipan banana into her mouth. Her azure eyes widened in pleasure.

"This...Is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted...Haruhi! You have to try one of these!"

As the little sweet was launched over to an unimpressed Haruhi, Kyouya and a grey-haired doctor entered the room.

"Miss Suoh, Miss Fujioka. I have some good news for you both. The results of your examinations deem you well enough to return home tomorrow."

"I hope you have found your stay here as comfortable and enjoyable as possible."

The doctor bowed and Kyouya dismissed him.

"You'd think this place was a hotel..."

Naomi muttered, nibbling on another marzipan.

Kyouya ignored her and spoke loudly yet monotonously.

"Tamaki will be here at approximately 1PM tomorrow afternoon. I trust that you will be packed and ready to go by then?"

He looked down in surprise as Naomi thrust a box into his arms.

"Here Kyouya, you have to try one of these!"

She grinned, grateful that he had brought such great news.

Kyouya pushed the box away, looking at her rather coldly.

"In case you haven't noticed, I do not care for sweets."

He smirked bitterly and left the room.

"What's got his knickers in a twist?"

Naomi spat, angrily slamming the box onto the bed.

"Well it's not like Kyouya to act like that around people he likes. Are you sure you haven't offended him in some way?"

Haruhi suggested. Naomi shook her head.

"He hasn't said one nice thing to me since we arrived here! Well if he can't try to be nice, then I give up!"

At that moment, a young nurse appeared at the foot of Naomi's bed.

"Good morning! Master Kyouya sent me to help pack your things."

She eyed the piles of gifts.

"Oh my, you must be pretty popular... I don't think I've ever seen so many chocolates in one room!"

Naomi found herself handing over the box Kyouya had refused.

"Here, take these!"

"Oh no, I couldn't! These are yours; Master Kyouya would absolutely kill me..."

The nurse stammered, wistfully eyeing the fancy box.

"You know what? To hell with him, take all of them! Take every box and share them out among the staff! Go on, I insist, I'll never eat them all anyway!"

Naomi began to pile box after box of chocolates into the nurse's arms. The nurse thanked her, bowed quickly and left.

The room suddenly seemed a lot emptier than before.

"You know, that was a really nice thing to do. Even if it was slightly out of spite..."

Haruhi smiled weakly.

"Well, it seemed a shame to waste them. Oh, there are more presents under these!"

As her rather excitable friend delved into the tower of gifts once more, Haruhi watched on in amusement.

"I guess Kyouya was just worried about her safety. She could have died saving me; maybe that's why he was so cold to her. All the same, I shouldn't get involved. They need to resolve this by themselves."

Meanwhile, Tamaki and the twins were moving the things for the ball into a hidden room.

"As great as it is having Haruhi live with you, boss, it's going to be a lot harder to keep this thing a secret!"

Hikaru snapped, covering the lilac silk dress with a plastic sheet.

"This mannequin is insanely heavy!"

Tamaki panted, attempting to place the finished dress in the corner of the room. The twins seized it from him quickly.

"Do you _want_ to ruin our finished product? Hand it over!"

Tamaki pouted at them, causing Hikaru to glare back.

"Well it was your smart-ass idea to let her stay with you! If you had let her live with any of the other hosts, we could have left everything the way it was! You never think things through!"

"Well as her father, it is my duty to..."

Hikaru interrupted him with a sudden burst of rage.

"Why can't you get it through your thick skull? You are not Haruhi's father! She already has a dad, why would she need you too?"

Kaoru placed a hand on his brother's quivering back.

"That was harsh, Hikaru. The boss was only trying to help out; you shouldn't take your anger out on him!"

Tamaki looked down at the floor in shame.

"He's right, Kaoru. I realise it now... I'm not Haruhi's father, nor do I have any right to pretend that I am..."

"I'm going home. I'm sorry senpai, but I can't be around you right now."

With that, Hikaru sprinted out of the room, letting the door slam behind him.

"That door...locks automatically..."

"And you didn't say anything until now?"

"Well I didn't expect Hikaru to be in such a foul mood!"

"Look senpai, I didn't agree with his actions towards you but I won't let you say such a thing! Hikaru gave up something really important just so you would be happy. You have to understand that he's going to feel bitter about it!"

Tamaki leaned against the wall and allowed his body to slide down into a sitting position on the floor.

"So I would be...happy? Tell me Kaoru, what was it he gave up?"

Kaoru looked away from him.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself. And when you do, make sure you take care of it. You must cultivate it and protect it with all you've got. That's what Hikaru wants from you, so do it for him okay?"

Tamaki nodded.

"Well, I'm afraid we're stuck here until someone finds us. Do you have your cell phone?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about it. Here, call Kyouya."

Kaoru tossed the phone over to his senpai.

"Kyouya! We're trapped in a room in my mansion! Yes, Kaoru and I...What do you mean you're in a meeting? How long will you be?"

Kaoru peered over at the lavender ball gown in the corner.

"This rift in the Host club is going to cause problems for all of us. Perhaps this ball will bring us closer together again?"

"2 hours? We'll be dead by then! You'll find our skeletons when you arrive, is that what you want?"

Trying to ignore Tamaki's screeching, he turned back to the dress.

"I'm going to put all my energy into making this ball a success, for all our sakes. Naomi, we're counting on you to make an effort too!"

Just over 2 hours later, Kyouya arrived to find Tamaki rocking back and forth whimpering. Upon seeing his friend, Tamaki shrieked in joy and clung onto his leg. Kaoru poked his head from behind the dress, taking a break from arranging the seating plan.

"Tamaki, let go of me before I punch you!"

Kyouya snarled.

"I suggest you two get out of here before I lose my patience and lock you back in!"

Once safely in the hallway, Tamaki confronted him.

"Say, what's the matter with you Kyouya? You've been acting strangely over the past few days, what's up?"

"It's nothing that concerns you, Tamaki."

"Is it because of the fire?"

"It...could be...But as I said, this doesn't concern you!"

Tamaki placed a hand on his friend's shoulder reassuringly.

"We were all worried about them, and with good reason to be! All that matters is that they are safe now. Don't try and play cool Kyouya, I know that you care as much as the rest of us."

"Haruhi called us and said you'd acted coldly when you visited today. And it wasn't towards her... It was towards Naomi, wasn't it?"

"Don't be cruel to her, senpai. She just did what any of us would have done. If she hadn't, maybe we'd have lost Haruhi."

"We know about your little crush on her, in fact, we've noticed it for quite a while now. Don't worry; your secret is safe with us."

Tamaki placed a slender finger on his lips.

Kyouya smirked and effortlessly forced Tamaki back into the room, pulling the door shut.

Pretending to ignore Tamaki's squeals of terror, the two hosts walked away slowly.

"Harsh, senpai, but totally justifiable..."


End file.
